When you think of a Pacific Island oasis like Arno you almost instantly think coconut trees. Well think again. The Coconut trees are not actually native to these islands but were brought by European settlers in the 1800′s to be grown and harvested for the families back home. Coconut palms over the past few centuries have become the main source of income for the locals who work tirelessly to produce and export the harvested Copra to feed their families.
Copra is the first stage of harvesting coconuts; it is the dried coconut flesh. To make it is a long and labor intense process, it takes days to prepare and when the crop is sold, it pays just pennies a pound. Never the less this is the main source of income for many families in the outer islands who work together to process the coconut meat and sell it to the buyers in the capital of Majuro. Eventually the meat is exported and processed in countries like Thailand where it is then packaged into what we know as coconut milk and paste.
If you get the opportunity to visit the outer islands of the RMI you will undoubtedly run into one of these smokers, which is a sure sign that the locals are producing copra.
Coconut Meat being baked.
It’s refreshing to see how resourceful the Marshallese are — even the coconut husks are used to make copra. The locals dry them and use them as fuel for fires under the smokers.
In 2008 the Marshall Islands reportedly produced 7,641 tons of copra – a record year for the country. Virtually all of it comes from family operations like this. Pretty cool.
After the husks have been removed, the first step is to split the coconuts, which is usually done with a machete.
It’s so cool that this is a family production-everyone gets involved. In North America where there are concerns over rising rates of depression and crime it’s so inspiring to see groups like these working together to not only humbly support their families, but also share a laugh and enjoy a little human contact. What positive change would see in our society if we made it a priority to spend this kind of regular quality time?
The finished product.
Once the copra is baked its collected and packed into sacks. The farmers are paid by weight so they break the copra up with a staff ensure they get the highest yield in each bag.
Once the sacks have been packed, they are shipped to buyers on the outer islands who sell the copra to the larger distributors. From there it is shipped to places such as Indonesia for processing. From there it finds it’s way to your table. So next time you are sipping on your Pina Colada, eating your curry or enjoying a macaroon, remember the island families who worked so hard to bring you this tropical delicacy.
